Home Sweet Home
Mabuhay! Kia ora! Welcome!
I am delighted to celebrate the beginning of a new season that is Kōanga (Spring) here in Aotearoa (New Zealand). With the wettest Hōtoke (Winter) had, I do look forward to dryer grounds and spending a lot more time outdoors sinking my feet into the earth and soaking in some much needed rays of sunlight. I hope that you too are filling your space with positive vibes wherever you are in the world in all that you maybe doing!
My son and I have officially landed home from our Adventures in the US and I think jetlag is finally making its exit! Here I will share with you some highlights from the trip, what I have been up to since I have been home and up and coming events on the calendar.
Make yourself a cup of tea, pull up a chair, enjoy and relax into some down time with my latest blog!
Nga mihinui
Sez x
Reset, Refocus, Rid of the things that no longer serve you

Creating rituals of regular cleansing is something that holds huge importance in my life. Being conscious and taking action in letting go and clearing the pathway is essential for growth and inner peace. The infectious and deeply purifying energy of Kōanga always makes me feel so motivated at times of decluttering, so the past week has been a time for nesting, debriefing and reflecting upon both my personal and professional spaces.

My 6am Grind Taha Ora Fitness family consists of a handful of women (and sometimes the odd male) who come from different background, professions and age groups. We turn up at the same time and same place 5 days a week for the same reason which is to build and motivate each other through health, fitness and wellbeing, working towards whatever goals we each undertake whether it be a long term or short term gain. They have been working hard with the eight week challenge currently in its 5th week and one of the ladies just competed in the East Coast NABBAS bodybuilding comps in celebration of her 50th birthday! So very inspiring! I have some catching up to do but it definitely feels good to be chasing endorphins again!

I thoroughly enjoyed exploring different and tasty foods while on vacation! All good things must come to an end and I am happy to be all loved up again in my kitchen creating clean and nutritional eats and treats to compliment the cleansing ritual. Seafood of prawns and seaweed has been my latest flavour with some deep earthy beetroot and berries!
The Itch of the Green Fingers
I spent the first day of Spring in Whangarā just 20 minutes north of Tūranga (Gisborne) with the whānau (family) of the Kai Oranga programme. A new an exciting one year of wānanga (sharing and learning) on companion planting, maramataka, rongoa, permaculture, hua parakore just to name a few. All accordingly to the Māori Calendar. Although I feel like my plate is so very full, this workshop comes close to home for my passion in clean eating, health and wellbeing and I know I would kick myself if I turned down such an awesome opportunity. It is another episode of 'Say yes now and figure out the rest later' for me. The unusually Wintry weather did not put a damper on this beautiful day being part of a fantastic kaupapa! It was also a reflective time I had with my own garden that has seen better days and I feel my green fingers itch as I dream about my garden plan and work towards making it a reality!

The Introduction day to Kai Oranga kicked off with a debrief of the programme and we got to sow some seeds of our choice. Here I chose two types of beans, peas and tobacco!


There is something extra profound and extra mystical about this cycle's full moon!
Studio Vibes

Good to be back in my studio again to clear the space, manifest more beautiful energy, dust the shelves and give my plants some tlc!

With a lifetime of catch ups birthed this contemporary family tree tattoo, I created for my dear cousin who I haven't seen since I was still a youngin at Nuhaka School! The first tattoo piece for my return home. It was a beautiful time bonding with Sara and her tamariki (children). More whakapapa (bloodline) for my tamariki to connect and link with!
Family is Everything!

But of course the biggest highlight of returning home is to be in the arms of my beloved family again! These guys keep me grounded, keep me real and are my inspiration and driving force in all that I do. Blessed are we!
100 Days Solo Exhibition

The 100 Days solo exhibitions are well and truly in full form at the Tairāwhiti Museum with Kataraina and Terangi already showcased and Todd currently up and running! Be sure to get there if you haven't already! I will be busy in the next few weeks with a couple of things up my sleeve readying for mine in October. Watch this space!
Tatak Ng Apat Na Alon
Due to an event cancellation to Australia, I made a spontaneous decision to fly my son Honor and I to the US for a two week adventure to visit our Mark of the Four Waves tribe family.
Our purpose was to join in the birthday celebrations of Kuya (brother) Elle and everything else that came after was a bonus.

We departed Aotearoa in full Winter form and arrived in rising Summer temperatures of LAX with carry on bags heavy with jackets and woolie hats! Safe and sound travels with 5 year old Honor who was super excited to join māmā on his first international adventure.

An epic day celebrating Elle's birthday packed full of family, sun, swimming, love, lots and lots of kai (food) and laughs!

Missing our whānau in Aotearoa didn't feel so bad when we were surrounded in the loving energy of these guys!

Zel took us on a tour of the very grand mansion that is the family home where the birthday was held. This photo? I just had to! LOL

I have an album full of memorable photos with too many to share! If I have to share one more photo about the birthday it has got to be a foodie pic. This was my first plate of many for the day! The food is definitely one of my favourite things about being Filipino! Pancit bihon is an all time childhood fave. YUM!!

More birthday celebrations with another four waves brother Jason!

A gift for a gift. I feel so blessed to have connected with a brother who gifted this treasure to help me on my journey within the tatak revival.

I held the space within my māmā duties the evening our whānau went to support Nahko and the Medicine for the People performance in LA. We did however, take a trip to Santa Monica to kick it with the lyrical brother Nahko Bear and walked the famous walkway to the Pier.

Grey and Black shade tattoo artist, French Pinay sister Jayde joined us from Paris on our adventures in the US!

During our stay I was able to jam some work in Elle's tattoo shop Spiritual Journey.
An opportunity to experiment with design, techniques, machines and skin textures.
It was an honor to create this piece for this brother who shared his epic story of how he came about his skin graft through a helicopter accident.

Trialling rotary machines, adding onto the sis above and brothers below on existing works created by the artists of the Spiritual Journey shop.



Zel spoilt me rotten with new additions to my tatak sleeve consisting of designs that I have not yet been revived until now! @browsbyzel has also been training in cosmetic tattoo and I am the second client that she has created cosmetic powder shade eyebrows for! She totally inspires me and makes me proud to be a wearer of her beautiful tattoo work.

Brows by Zel, Linglingo (Filipino fertility symbol) bling from Elle.

Opportunities to wananga (share space and time) unravelled at the best hours of the night and day just as our ancestors did. Whether it be around the kai table, in a working environment with our children vibing around us or debriefing about the day at 2am! It is never in a planned format, you just had to be at the right place at the right time. Times of wananga bonds relationships and opens up the space for informal and valuable korero (stories). This is what I love most! I have come away with a kete full of knowledge and am left eagerly hungry for more! I do look forward to future wananga with my tribe family and hope that they can one day join us in Aotearoa.


The Spiritual Journey tattoo shop is a museum of endless treasures to explore!


Of course there was plenty of fun times with the kids doing it in VIP style at Universal Studios, Downtown Disney and Hollywood! An experience of a lifetime for master 5! We look forward to planning our next trip with Honors siblings and Dad.

Of all the stars in the world MJ is the chosen.

Zel cleverly made this gadget for us to view the eclipse! Realising how fortunate we are in Aotearoa to star gaze at the celestial world with little assistance.

Saying farewell is always the hardest especially for this little guy who has just explored what lies beyond the horizon.

Thank you Air NZ for the entertainment that distracted us from the sad departure and for making our airline travels as safe and comfortable as it was.

Nga mihinui to Elle, Zel, Kaya, Kali, Ate Paning and the four waves famz for your immense generosity of manaakitanga & aroha (hospitality and love) for me and my Honor. We came home with lifted spirits, kete and puku full and memories to carry us through to our next.

Connecting with the four waves whānau has got to be one of the highlights of 2017 so far. There is nothing quite like coming together with people on a path similar to my own. The beauty in sharing space and time opens up to so many possibilities and this journey has definitely sparked the flame within!
An amazing adventure that ended way too soon but has inspired us to look beyond to many more to come!

Salamat!